The Success of Speaking

Yesterday, November 1, was Autistics Speaking Day, and it was a resounding success!! I am completely speechless trying to describe it; I keep using the words “incredible” and “awesome”, but truly these are weak words to accurately express it. The responses and contributions from everyone greatly exceeded my expectations.

I will be honest, when I proposed Autistics Speaking Day, I thought that at best it would be myself and a few others, tweeting on Twitter and maybe putting up a few blog posts. And when the criticisms came in, with people saying that much wouldn’t happen, so why bother, I thought of two things. The two things that leads me to be active in the Autism and Disability communities.

I thought “Well, it might not reach too many people, but it’s worth it if I can make even a little difference in someone’s life.”

And then I thought, “Well, you don’t know that for sure, so what’s the harm in me trying?”

Hope for the best, expect the worst, and be pleasantly surprised. And I was totally surprised. I don’t think I have ever been so pleased to be so wrong before. It was great to see and hear everyone online. I want to thank everyone for their hard work.

I’ve gotten messages of people thanking me for putting ASDay together, but I don’t think that’s right. I don’t deserve all of the credit. Yes, I thought of holding a counter to Communication ShutDown, and I thought of the name, and I nearly spammed Twitter getting the word out and explaining it. But on the day itself, what did I do? I did what everyone else participating did, I posted a blog entry, and shared my experiences with others.

I did not do it all; I do not deserve all the praise for the success of ASDay.

And most of all, it was every single Autistic person who joined in and participated. It couldn’t have happened without any of you.

I am only one person, but together, we are a community of voices. I hope that ASDay was informative for many, and that the day inspired not only parents and professionals, but Autistics to be involved in processes and decisions that ultimately affect us. We should not be silent when we have something to say. And certainly, we weren’t on November 1st.

Right now, I want to acknowledge all the participants and contributers who wrote blogs, all their hard work that made ASDay a success. November 1st was your day.

11 Responses to "The Success of Speaking"

@ Corina – I'm glad it was so successful. Sorry I didn't get to participate much, had a major case of "executive dysfunction", and almost completely blew it. I'll be busy for the rest of the week reading entries on this list.

I updated the list to add about four more names and a link to FARS's video.Thank you for coming up with this idea. It was a great idea, plus it really helped get me motivated to do things and I feel like I'm even more a part of the community now because of it.

Corina – you are amazing. I had no idea who started all of this, and I am so touched at how many people participated and all of the incredible posts that came out of it. Thanks to each of you for putting this together.Thank you for doing what you do.Darcy (asdmommy – you said you didn't know my name; now you do!)

Hi Corina,I am writing to you on behalf of Tony Lyons, author of 1,001 Tips for the Parents of Autistic Girls: Everything You Need to Know About Diagnosis, Doctors, Schools, Taxes, Vacation, Treatment, Food, and More. 1,001 Tips guides parents through what to do from when they first suspect their daughter may have autism, to coping with the first diagnosis, to following up with comprehensive evaluation, continuing education, and treatment. And Lyons wrote 1,001 Tips with the help of bloggers like you!Over the past few weeks, I have spent a great deal of time getting to know the blog landscape of the autism community and I absolutely love “No Stereotypes Here” because I think you give a smart, honest look at what it's like to be an autistic adult while also providing insightful commentary on happenings in the autistic community and beyond. Your post about adult iPod apps was really eye opening! I would like to invite you to be part of our upcoming blog tour about the book. It would incredible to have a woman on the Spectrum sound off on the tips, especially because there are so fewer females on the Spectrum and, therefore, less female voices speaking up! The sky's the limit as to the content of your post, although it would be amazing to get your feedback on some of the 1,001 tips and perhaps even a favorite or two! I can send you a free electronic copy of the book right away as well as a hard copy to thank you for being part of the tour. Some bloggers choose to offer the book as a giveaway to their readers and I think that's a great idea!I would be thrilled if “No Stereotypes Here” were included in our upcoming blog tour and I'm here to answer any questions you may have. Hope to hear from you soon!Thank you,Kay Albers http://www.1001autismtips.com/http://twitter.com//1001autismtips

@skyhorse, Hi!Please excuse the late reply; I was out of town for the weekend. It sounds very interesting. Let me look it over and think about it. @born2bme, awesome!!! I'll make sure it gets onto the list